The present invention relates generally to switch devices. Specifically, the present invention is directed to an easily operable switch on a remote transmitter for use in a telephone number dialing system. The present invention is of particular value to those individuals who must rely on tactile sensing to activate the transmitter, either because they are unable to visually operate the transmitter or because they have become partially incapacitated.
Due to the high cost of in-patient health care for the physically incapacitated, the increasing expense of convalescent homes for the aged, and the desire of many such persons to be independent, the numbers of aged persons or those with fragile health who elect to live alone are becoming very large. The changing economics of society has also resulted in many young children being at home alone after school or when their parents are away at work. The lack of supervisory care for these people has lead to a potentially dangerous situation in the household.
In many crises or accidents, especially those in a household setting, one of the initial considerations is to alert an outside party to the situation in the household. This typically involves placing a telephone call to a local emergency response number such as the well-known 911 number or to a relative or neighbor for situations that are less urgent. Unfortunately, either due to injury or some other emergency related side-effects, the very young or very old when living alone may become physically unable to place a call for help, preventing help from arriving at an early stage. Moreover, incapacitated individuals may be unable to reach the telephone or they may be unable to dial the telephone even if they can reach it.
Numerous dialer systems have been devised over the years in which a preselected telephone number is dialed automatically in order to alert the dialed number of an emergency. Typically, these systems are activated with a small remote transmitter similar to a conventional garage door opener. The transmitter is typically worn by the user, either around the neck or on the wrist. The transmitters are activated by pressing a button or some other depression-activated device on the transmitter. Typically such transmitters only send signals while the switch remains depressed.
Ordinary switches or buttons, however, are not optimally suited for activating such a transmitter. In high stress situations, conventional switches or buttons may become too difficult to operate. A toggle switch, for example, requires two hands, one to hold the transmitter and the other to flip the switch. Ordinary push-button devices may be too small to locate or are activated for too brief a period of time to be effective. Such buttons are further susceptible to false operation when the wearer leans against an object or, in the case of a cardiac patient, turns over in bed.
Hence, an improved transmitter is needed which has a switch that is operable with one hand, requires minimal amounts of space, and cannot be operated by pressures incident to normal activities. Preferably, the device should be operable through tactile sensation alone, particularly when a person has fallen and is unable to visually guide their hand to activate the transmitter. Furthermore, the transmitter should provide visual cues that it has been activated and be simple enough that even young children can understand the type of motion needed to activate the transmitter. The improved transmitter could have a plurality of uses such as with hospital beds for alerting nurses of patient emergencies or as a triggering mechanism for an anti-theft system and thus is not confined to use in telephone-based systems.